Five years had passed since Russian scientists had last seen Iceberg, an orca. The Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP) researchers, who had grown to fear the worst for the white whale, were relieved to see the rare white orca.
However, there he was, contentedly feeding his pod.
In 2010, an iceberg was first seen close to the Commander Islands in the North Pacific. It was the first time a fully matured, all-white orca had been observed by biologists at the time. After a protracted period of no sightings, they found him once more in August of 2015.
The 22-year-old Iceberg, which has recently made a comeback near the Kuril Islands, appears to be one of a select group of white killer whales.
Between 5 and 8 white orcas are thought to exist worldwide. White killer whales, which may be leucistic (patchy white pigmentation) or real albinos, appear to be most common in Russian waters. Albinism, as described in our work, is likely a sign of inbreeding in tiny populations.
Due to rising stress brought on by ocean pollution orca populations worldwide are declining. The extremely mobile predator travels in small pods. It which raises the possibility that inbreeding may happen.
